(IN): NDTV impact: Crackdown on cattle smuggling

May 11, 2009

Dear Azam,

Is it possible to learn what has been the fate of these rescued ones meaning

their well being. Most of these cattle will suffer from contagious diseases,

severe injuries, exhaustion, dehydration and very weak. They will all need

immediate special care. And the limitations on such rescues are that there is

no care of such magnitude to do so. The governemnt has good laws on cow

protection including to look after them but almost all the time it is the AWOs

who face the problem of looking after them and this is not easy as grants are

not easy for them . If these rescued ones are not into good hands they will all

go once again to local middlemen. The government must take the intiative to look

after them also.

Kind regards,

Pradeep.

--- On Mon, 5/11/09, azam24x7 <azam24x7 wrote:

azam24x7 <azam24x7

(IN): NDTV impact: Crackdown on cattle smuggling

" AAPN List " <aapn >

Monday, May 11, 2009, 8:17 PM

http://www.ndtv. com/news/ videos/video_ player.php? id=1099490

NDTV impact: Crackdown on cattle smuggling

Source: www.ndtv.com

Three months after NDTV tracked the multi-crore cattle smuggling along

Indo-Bangla border, the BSF claims to have seized more than 12000

cattle. But the BSF also admits that it is not enough

--

http://www.stopelep hantpolo. com

http://www.freewebs .com/azamsiddiqu i

May 12, 2009

Dear Pradeep,

Thanks for a timely query. I will also ask Azam to look into the matter. Why

don't we ask the Animal Welfare Board / Maneka to set up some proper shades

along the border at specific Check-posts? I believe there is no derth of

funds for the purpose, if intended.

How are you others=wise? It is long time since we met at Bali last year. Pl

keep in touch.

Regards

Raja Chatterjee 94334-20602

On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 12:41 AM, Pradeep Nath <vspcadeepwrote:

>

> Dear Azam,

>

> Is it possible to learn what has been the fate of these rescued ones

> meaning their well being. Most of these cattle will suffer from contagious

> diseases, severe injuries, exhaustion, dehydration and very weak. They will

> all need immediate special care. And the limitations on such rescues are

> that there is no care of such magnitude to do so. The governemnt has good

> laws on cow protection including to look after them but almost all the time

> it is the AWOs who face the problem of looking after them and this is not

> easy as grants are not easy for them . If these rescued ones are not into

> good hands they will all go once again to local middlemen. The government

> must take the intiative to look after them also.

>

> Kind regards,

> Pradeep.

>

> --- On Mon, 5/11/09, azam24x7 <azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com>>

> wrote:

>

> azam24x7 <azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com>>

> (IN): NDTV impact: Crackdown on cattle smuggling

> " AAPN List " <aapn <aapn%40>>

> Monday, May 11, 2009, 8:17 PM

>

> http://www.ndtv. com/news/ videos/video_ player.php? id=1099490

>

> NDTV impact: Crackdown on cattle smuggling

> Source: www.ndtv.com

>

> Three months after NDTV tracked the multi-crore cattle smuggling along

> Indo-Bangla border, the BSF claims to have seized more than 12000

> cattle. But the BSF also admits that it is not enough

>

> --

> http://www.stopelep hantpolo. com

> http://www.freewebs .com/azamsiddiqu i

>

May 12, 2009

Dear Pradeep,

Thanks so much for your mail.

I will try to answer some of the points which you have raised.

>Is it possible to learn what has been the fate of these rescued ones

meaning their well being<

Well, the cattle are not RESCUED as you may think, instead they are time and

again SEIZED by the Border Security Force personnels manning the

Indo-Bangladesh border.

There are designated trade routes along the Indo-Bangladesh border in places

such as Dawki in Meghalaya, in Tripura etc from where legal trade between

the two countries takes place.

However since the trade in Cattle has not been legalized, thus it is not

possible for traders to penetrate the illegal cattle through these

designated trade routes.

The Indo-Bangladesh border is 4095 kms in length and extremely porous, most

of it is unfenced.

The cattle mafia operates all along this border. As you may be aware that

transportation of cattle inland (within the country) is not an offense,

therefore these truck loads of cattle reach the northeastern belt of India

from states such as Bihar, Haryana, UP and other mainland India states.

Once they reach the border towns & villages, it is the hundreds of people

who are engaged by the mafia to push these cattle heads into Bangladesh

candidly.

As and when BSF detects any such movement, it takes action.

This results in sometimes the surrender of the smugglers and sometimes in

death.

>Most of these cattle will suffer from contagious diseases, severe injuries,

exhaustion, dehydration and very weak. They will all need immediate special

care<

There was NO veterinary officer where the NDTV crew filmed the cattle being

unloaded off the trucks. There was a huge heap of hay where one by one the

animals were unloaded (see the NDTV video report).

The process of unloading was not cruel. The cattle seemed to be not

overloaded and in good health (unlike what we have seen in the PETA

undercover report of south India). It seems that Bangladesh has strict norms

to take in healthy cattle and this is met. Remember this is cross border

trade and where the cattle is traded not meat and so the well being of the

cattle is an important criteria to be included in this trade.

Also after unloading the cattle are expected to walk hundreds of kilometers

to their point of destination which includes both Indian and Bangladeshi

soil, so the animal has to be healthy to undertake the daunting task.

>If these rescued ones are not into good hands they will all go once again

to local middlemen<

The cattle seized becomes the property of the Government. It is then

auctioned asap by the district administration (this being a regular

phenomenon) and the highest bidder gets custody of the cattle.

And yet again the cattle head is once again ready to be pushed through the

border.

>The governemnt has good laws on cow protection including to look after them

but almost all the time it is the AWOs who face the problem of looking after

them and this is not easy as grants are not easy for them<

The Prime Minister, Home Minister, External Affairs Minister and all other

Union Minsters , Member of Parliaments & Bureaucrats of India as well as the

Indian Army-Navy-Air Force heads are aware of this age old 'ILLEGAL TRADE " .

It would be SHOCKING if any of the above claim to be unaware of this issue.

Security agencies have also exposed the nexus between cattle trade and gun

running and terrorism. It is believed that the revenue generated from this

illegal trade is used to purchase and fund terrorist organisations.

See the news link below:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Illegal_cattle_trade_funding_terror/art\

icleshow/3554048.cms

" Illegal cattle trade funding terror "

So you see how BIG and SERIOUS an issue this is.

It is not just merely an issue which an animal welfare organsiation can

help, this requires the will power of some powerful supreme authority to

act.

But still I do have hope that if the Prime Minister of India could be roped

in by the wildlife lobby to prioritize the tiger crisis issue, why cannot

the animal welfare lobby knock his door for the Cows??

It is worth a try.

But please, keep away from any emotional awareness campaign to end this.

They wont work here.

Azam